Instant Reaction - WWE Raw 7/16
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 8.0

This is a sad day, indeed. The very last two-hour Raw (at least for the time being). And, I thought it was pretty good. There were a few throw-away segments (namely the Brodus squash), but there was a lot to like. The show also hyped Raw 1,000 better than almost any pay-per-view the company has produced within the last year. It's almost as if they've hyped too much, akin to some of Impact's episodes in 2010 when they debuted so many legends and threw everything but the kitchen sink into each episode.

The show started off pretty well with the Punk-Show exchange. Punk has really lost his edginess since his pipe bomb a year ago, but he played his current role well and Big Show's points were well made. It didn't exactly light the world on fire, but it at least made the main event interesting. The match itself was pretty decent, as far as Show matches are concerned. I was surprised to see Punk kick out of the chokeslam on TV, but the complaint is minor and made Cena's choice later mean more. On that note, I have to question Cena not cashing in. It makes any other face that's cashed in like a heel would... wait, I guess that only affects Punk's first World Title win. Wow, these Money in the Bank matches really don't produce main event level faces very often, do they? Okay, moving on to the next point. I would've preferred having Punk vs. Cena, one of the biggest ones the WWE can muster up at the moment with their full time talent, be made for Summerslam. It wouldn't surprise me to see a re-match then, but it does take away from the mystique of the match. Oh well.

Rey Mysterio's return was a pretty good surprise, even if he was advertised for tomorrow's Smackdown taping. The crowd was hot for him and it gives Del Rio an entertaining wrestler to feud with and perhaps provide some direction to his non-existent character. Zack Ryder... Let's hope he has an idea for a show on Tout to save his career.

Could someone explain to me what's going on with The Miz? He's back after two months, looks refreshed, has a great new look, and is treated like he's JTG. The tag match he was in was nothing to talk about, but the proposal by Daniel Bryan to A.J. was great and is the perfect next step in their story. Both characters give each other direction, and while they may not need each other, the chemistry between them is great. The whole wedding feels rushed with it taking place next week, but then again this story does need to evolve a bit faster.

The Slater squash was, once again, a lot of fun, and seeing The Usos get a bit of rub was nice. Ryback's squash segment was decent enough, and I was surprised to see the tag match get so much time. Even better, AW was less annoying, the PTP are getting their characters over, and the match quality was pretty high. And, of course, Jericho finally turned face after a great promo by Dolph Ziggler. The turn can lead to some great segments and matches between Jericho and Ziggler, and at the moment it feels like one of the freshest aspects of Raw.

And, this concludes the end of an era. As the two-hour Raws draw to a close with a good show, I look on... with fear... as the three-hour era commences.

Questions? Comments? Reactions yourself? Message me on Twitter at BTuckerTorch, where I talk about wrestling and stuff. I sorta have a Tout @BTuckerTorch, but have no idea why I'd have that and a Twitter. Please someone, give me a reason to have one!

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